Grizedale Forest
Encyclopedia
Grizedale Forest is a 24.47 km² area of woodland
Woodland
Ecologically, a woodland is a low-density forest forming open habitats with plenty of sunlight and limited shade. Woodlands may support an understory of shrubs and herbaceous plants including grasses. Woodland may form a transition to shrubland under drier conditions or during early stages of...

 in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...

 of North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...

, located to the east of Coniston Water
Coniston Water
Coniston Water in Cumbria, England is the third largest lake in the English Lake District. It is five miles long, half a mile wide, has a maximum depth of 184 feet , and covers an area of . The lake has an elevation of 143 feet above sea level...

 and to the south of Hawkshead
Hawkshead
Hawkshead is a village and civil parish in the Cumbria, England. It is one of the main tourist honeypots in the South Lakeland area, and is dependent on the local tourist trade...

. It comprises a number of hills, small tarns
Tarn (lake)
A tarn is a mountain lake or pool, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. A moraine may form a natural dam below a tarn. A corrie may be called a cirque.The word is derived from the Old Norse word tjörn meaning pond...

 and the settlements of Grizedale
Grizedale
Grizedale is a hamlet in the Lake District of England, in the middle of the Grizedale Forest, located north of Satterthwaite and south of Hawkshead...

 and Satterthwaite
Satterthwaite
Satterthwaite is a small village with around 50 dwellings situated in Grizedale, a valley in the Lake District, England, about four miles south of Hawkshead. It has a church, All Saints', and a Parish Room. The civil parish of Satterthwaite has its own community website.-External links:***...

. It is managed by the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....

 and is a popular tourist destination with colour coded waymarked footpaths, mountain biking
Mountain biking
Mountain biking is a sport which consists of riding bicycles off-road, often over rough terrain, using specially adapted mountain bikes. Mountain bikes share similarities with other bikes, but incorporate features designed to enhance durability and performance in rough terrain.Mountain biking can...

, an aerial assault course
Assault course
An assault course is a special sort of trail that combines running and exercising. It was more popular in the 1970s than it is now. It is heavily used in military training...

, a 16 bed hostel
Hostel
Hostels provide budget oriented, sociable accommodation where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and sometimes a kitchen. Rooms can be mixed or single-sex, although private rooms may also be available...

, and a visitor centre with a children's playground, education centre, café and shop. The forest is also used for two rallies in the year, the first being the Malcolm Wilson Rally, the second being the Grizedale Stages Rally, based in Coniston
Coniston
-Relating to Coniston, Cumbria, England:*Coniston, Cumbria, a village*Coniston Fells, a chain of hills and mountains in the Furness Fells, in the Lake District**Coniston Old Man , the highest peak in the Coniston Fells....


Sculpture Trail

Scattered throughout the forest are approximately 90 sculpture
Sculpture
Sculpture is three-dimensional artwork created by shaping or combining hard materials—typically stone such as marble—or metal, glass, or wood. Softer materials can also be used, such as clay, textiles, plastics, polymers and softer metals...

s, often made from naturally occurring materials such as stone and wood. The project to place sculptures in the forest was started by the Grizedale Society
Grizedale Arts
Grizedale Arts is a contemporary arts residency and commissioning agency in the central Lake District in rural Northern England. It conducts cultural projects locally, nationally and internationally...

 in 1977 and won the 1990 Prudential
Prudential plc
Prudential plc is a multinational financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom.Prudential's largest division is Prudential Corporation Asia, which has over 15 million customers across 13 Asian markets and is a top-three provider of life insurance in mainland China, Hong...

 Award for the Arts. Sculptors have included David Nash
David Nash (Artist)
David Nash, OBE RA is a British sculptor based in Blaenau Ffestiniog. Nash has worked worldwide with wood, trees and the natural environment.-Early life:...

, Sally Matthews and Andy Goldsworthy
Andy Goldsworthy
Andy Goldsworthy, OBE is a British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist producing site-specific sculpture and land art situated in natural and urban settings. He lives and works in Scotland.-Life and career:The son of F...

.

One quarter of the 200,000 visitors to Grizedale per year cycle. A new 9.7 mile mountain biking trail, the £167,000 North Face
The North Face
The North Face, Inc. is an American outdoor product company specializing in outerwear, fleece, shirts, footwear, and equipment such as backpacks, tents, and sleeping bags....

 Trail, was opened in March 2006.

The highest point within Grizedale Forest is the 314 m high Carron Crag
Carron Crag
Carron Crag is a small fell in Grizedale Forest in the English Lake District with a height of 314 metres. Adjacent to the trig point is a large panopticon sculpture, one of over 70 in the forest...

, overlooking a wooden panopticon
Panopticon
The Panopticon is a type of building designed by English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the late eighteenth century. The concept of the design is to allow an observer to observe all inmates of an institution without them being able to tell whether or not they are being watched...

 sculpture.

Historically, Grizedale formed part of Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

 North of the Sands.

See also

  • Grizedale College
    Grizedale College
    Grizedale College is a college of the University of Lancaster in Lancashire, England. The college is named after the Grizedale Forest area of Lancashire North of the Sands. When it was built it was situated at the southern extremity of the Bailrigg campus...

    , a constituent college
    College
    A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...

     of the University of Lancaster named after the forest
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